SIEMENS OPENS NEW FACILITY AS PART OF $25M INVESTMENT PROGRAM

Global manufacturing company Siemens has opened a new facility in Yatala, Queensland, to support the growing demand for Australian developed and deployed products, with a focus on ramping up supply of their innovative Fusesaver technology.

The new facility represents part of a $25 million investment over five years. This will help fund the Australian manufacturing of energy utility products by the German-based manufacturing giant, which also includes a new Compact Recloser.

Siemens states that Fusesaver, a medium voltage outdoor vacuum circuit breaker, is “an innovative home grown product that is helping to eliminate up to 80 percent of sustained electricity outages on rural networks in over 30 countries and counting.” Instead of traditional fault finding methods, Fusesaver can detect, open, and clear a fault in as little as 10 milliseconds, without any user intervention.

Queensland’s Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick spoke at the launch, saying: “Queensland has a proud history in developing smart infrastructure, including Fusesaver, which was invented in a garage in Slacks Creek before Siemens acquired it in 2012 and gave it a global platform for growth.

“The fact that a product of Queensland innovation is now being exported to 30 different countries shines a spotlight on our state’s manufacturing capability and potential.”

Siemens Australia CEO added, “Siemens is both global and local, which means that with Fusesaver we’ve been able to bring a brilliant Australian invention to the world – from start-up to scale-up.

“The success of Fusesaver reiterates that Australia can be a competitive manufacturer and scale globally. We’ve already been able to take Fusesaver to 30 countries and that’s just the beginning. Energy security is a household topic at the moment and Dr. Brett Watson, one of the inventors of the product, and his team have created something that’s not only unique, but helps energy utilities deliver energy security especially in rural areas in Australia but also around the world.”

Global demand has risen sharply, as the UK Power Networks ordered €1.5m (2.42m AUD) in Fusesaver technology to help mitigate electricity outages. Victorian-based distributor Powercor also installed 600 units across its network, aimed at reducing the risk of electricity assets sparking bushfires.